VA Diagnostic Code 5321Group XXI. Function: Respiration. Muscles of respiration: Thoracic muscle group
Rated from 0% to 20% under § 4.73. Here is what the VA requires at each level.
Not the right code?
What each rating requires
The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.
- 20%
Severe or Moderately Severe
- 10%
Moderate
- 0%
Slight
Thoracic Muscle Group Injuries (VA Diagnostic Code 5321)
Understanding Respiratory Muscle Injuries and Their VA Ratings
The VA evaluates injuries to the Muscles of respiration: Thoracic muscle group (Group XXI) under Diagnostic Code 5321, found in § 4.73 of the VA rating schedule. This diagnostic code falls within the Muscle Injuries body system.
What This Condition Involves
The thoracic muscle group (Group XXI) supports the function of respiration — the muscles involved in breathing. An injury to this muscle group can affect how these muscles perform their role in the respiratory process.
Available Rating Levels
Under Diagnostic Code 5321, the VA assigns disability ratings based on the severity of the muscle injury. The available rating levels are:
| Rating | Severity of Injury |
|---|---|
| 20% | Severe or Moderately Severe |
| 10% | Moderate |
| 0% | Slight |
What the VA Looks For
When rating an injury to the thoracic muscle group, the VA classifies the severity of the muscle injury into one of these categories — Slight, Moderate, or Severe/Moderately Severe — and assigns the corresponding percentage. The more severe the injury to these respiratory muscles, the higher the disability rating within the range provided by this diagnostic code.
This information is based on VA Diagnostic Code 5321 under § 4.73 and is provided for general educational purposes. Individual ratings depend on the specific facts of each case as evaluated by the VA.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.73, diagnostic code 5321. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
View official sourceHow to claim this
Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.
Find your level in the stack
Read each rung against what your medical records already say. The level your records document today is the one the VA can support today.
Name the gap
Look at the rung above yours and write down exactly what it asks for that your file does not show yet — a diagnosis, a measurement, a prescribed brace, a doctor’s opinion linking it to service.
Claim it by code
File under diagnostic code 5321 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Muscle Injuries codes may cover your secondary conditions.
Find out which rating your evidence supports.
Six reads your records against these exact criteria and tells you what the VA is still missing.
Start for freeAll 31 Muscle Injuries codes →